"Amazing Race: All Stars" is a rematch, of sorts. A rematch of the most controversial finish in "Race" history. In 2005, Uchenna and Joyce Agu won the race (and $1 million). Rob and Amber Mariano finished second. On the last leg, Rob and Amber were on a plane taking them to their final destination. The plane pulled back, then returned to the gate for Joyce and Uchenna. If Rob and Amber had been the only ones on that plane, they could have waltzed to a victory, which wouldn't have been good TV. The producers have always denied any intervention. Someone at CBS I trust implicitly assures me that not only did the producers not intervene, but a network lawyer was on hand to make sure nothing like that happened. Still, Rob expressed some doubts. As have a lot of fans. And "Race" creator/executive producer Bertram van Munster acknowledged the incident when he talked about bringing both couples back for the all-star edition, which begins Sunday at 7 p.m. on Ch. 2. "We really thought that Uchenna and Joyce deserved another shot at this. The way the show ended with them, the way they handled themselves was just extraordinary and exemplary on many levels," he said in a conference call with TV critics. But he denied he was looking at this as a rematch. "I didn't really think about it from that perspective," van Munster said. "But I thought to have Rob and Amber was really a good choice. I mean, they're competitive people; they're a lot of fun." And, while he didn't give away details of what's to come, he did say the two teams didn't treat it as a rematch, either. "There was tension between other teams, as you will see. But not necessarily between those two," van Munster said. Joyce and Uchenna are the only winners from the previous 10 seasons of "Amazing Race" returning, but the show is loaded with familiar faces — some teams that viewers loved and some they didn't. There's friends Kevin and Drew from Season 1; friends Danny and Oswald from Season 2; John and Jill — who were dating in Season 3 but are no longer together; married couple David and Mary from Season 10; cousins Charla and Mirna from Season 5; married couple Teri and Ian from Season 3; life partners Joe and Bill (a k a "Team Guido") from Season 1; friends/beauty queens Dustin and Kandice from Season 10; and Eric and Danielle, who were on separate teams in Season 9 but are now dating. The race starts off by heading to Ecuador and Chile, and van Munster promises it will be the toughest challenge yet. Just don't try to guess who's going to win; Munster himself has never guessed right. "That's why I know this show will always be so original, because the outcome of every challenge is always different," he said. "It's the craziest thing. We have tried so many times to predict anything in this show, and when they run up to the mat, it's different from what we thought it was going to be."

When The Amazing Race returns for its 11th edition Sunday, look for Houston's Joyce and Uchenna Agu and nine other teams to experience the toughest contest in the series' history.

Already millionaire winners from the show, the Agus are the only couple of the 10 with the chance to double their money in the around-the-world race. All of the other teams were standouts for other reasons, said Bertram van Munster, creator and executive producer of the Emmy-winning series.

That means the Agus will face tougher terrains and competitions with a target on their backs.

"That's an understatement," Uchenna Agu said. "Once we found out we were the only ones (who were previous winners), we knew we would be right at the top among the ones to get rid of, alongside Rob and Amber."

Yes, game-show "professionals" Rob and Amber Mariano, the couple the Agus nipped at the finish line in a 2005 Amazing Race, are back. People love them or hate them, either for who they are and how they play and/or for having appeared not only on Race but also on two seasons of Survivor, including an all-star edition that Amber won.

"The fact that no one was a virgin (to The Amazing Race), that everyone except ourselves has experienced the pain of elimination and we haven't, getting rid of us was pretty high on some lists," Uchenna said.

"This is a very competitive group," van Munster said. "Rob and Amber are fine people. What we have done is made it difficult, particularly for veteran reality stars like Rob and Amber. And hard it was. We're going through more difficult terrain and cities and countries. That makes it physically very exhausting and as a result puts more pressure on your psyche."

Van Munster, who produces the show with his wife, Elise Doganieri, said putting together an all-star show that included only previous winners was considered and quickly discarded.

"We were strictly looking for character," he said. "The winner is not necessarily the most exciting person."

Joyce and Uchenna were the only previous winners chosen because "we really thought they deserved another shot," he said. "The way they handled themselves on the first show was just extraordinary and exemplary on many levels, and we really like them very much."

Van Munster would not divulge specifics about the new series, which begins unfolding at 7 p.m. Sunday on Channel 11. He did say, though, that this year's race will swing through Ecuador and Chile, including a visit to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world.

"The northern part of Chile is all desert, and the southern is basically like going to Switzerland," he said. "It's very remote and primitive and very hard to get through."

"It was quite a challenge," Agu said. "Let's just say the creators did a good job in putting together a challenging course."

The Agus spoke to the Chronicle taking care not to reveal the outcome or specific details about the race, which has been completed.

Q: Were you surprised you were asked back, especially since you already won?

A: Joyce: I was a little surprised that more winners weren't brought back.

Uchenna: We were really surprised to be the only winning couple brought back. Joyce made such a splash on the first one (she shaved her head to win one of the challenges), so I wasn't really surprised that we were picked for all-stars. We're excited that we get to represent Houston again.

Joyce: I remember after the first edition ended thinking I would never do anything like that again. Then, just like having a baby, you forget about all the pain and think about all the joy and the fun you got out of it.

Uchenna: People always ask us what we did with $1 million. The million helped out with financial things. It saved us from bankruptcy. But it was the experience, the lessons learned on the race, that changed our life.

Q: For the all-star edition, did any of your competitors come out and say they were gunning for you?

A: Uchenna: Some did, depending on their level of frustration.

Joyce: I think we're going to be surprised how many felt that way, because while you're filming you really don't interact with everyone. I'm sure it's going to come to light (as the series, which is still being edited, unfolds).

Q: Did you have a flashback moment when you saw Rob and Amber?

A: Joyce: The flashback moment came stepping into the room and seeing everybody and having the experience of "Oh my God, here we are again." To top it off, Rob and Amber are there, too.

Uchenna: It was just interesting to see all the racers who at one point we had cheered on ourselves (as viewers of the other editions).

Q: Were you guys recognized everywhere you went?

A: Joyce: Everywhere.

Uchenna: That's one of the advantages we felt Rob and Amber had in the first race. It was spread out a little more evenly this time.

Q: You guys maintained an even keel in the previous show. Was duplicating the effort a burden to you this time?

A: Joyce: We couldn't have planned to be righteous or good or any of that. As you see on this show so many times, whoever you are comes to light. You can't really avoid it. We just fell back into who we were. You can't act that.

Uchenna: You have so many things that take you out of your element: food deprivation, lack of sleep, the stress of competition, navigating in unfamiliar territory. By the time you get through all those things, you have no time to powder up and think, "I've got to say the right thing for the cameras." You forget about the cameras very quickly.

Joyce: When you're starving, the real you starts to pour out.

Q: Did you lose a lot of weight

A: Both: Yes.

Joyce: You can't help but lose weight. You have no control over when you're going to eat again.

Uchenna: You have a designated amount of money for each leg, and you're hesitant to spend any of it on snacks.

Joyce: The average viewer thinks you get a break every 12 hours, but that's not true. You get a break at every pit stop. You might not get to a pit stop for four days, and if you only have $20 or $40, you use most of that for cabs or airport fees. It gets to be a guessing game; do you eat now and hope this food and water are OK?

Q: Does the city of Houston recognize you as ambassadors?

A: Joyce: When we won the last time, we really did not do too much. We did a fundraiser for Casa de Esperanza, which helps young children. We wanted to do more (in Houston) but just didn't.

Uchenna: On Sunday, the city of Houston will give us a proclamation.

Joyce: We're starting to do a lot more.

(Since their win, the Uchennas have become motivational speakers, addressing audiences around the country. They have also invested in real estate projects, including one going up in Rockport. They also plan to participate in next month's Guaranty Bank Tour de Houston cycling event, which promotes exercise and fitness.)

Q: So you're doing both the Tour de Houston and the MS 150? (The latter bike ride, from Houston to Austin, takes place in April.)

A: Uchenna: We're not sure what we're doing to contribute to the MS 150.

College Park, Md.: What happens during the 12 hour pit stops? Do the teams explore the area, hang out together or just sleep? Also, how well do you get to know the teams while you travel with them?

Phil Keoghan: I do an interview with them on the mat chat. Then they'll go and do interviews with the story producers. I do more of the reaction interviews when they come in. Then the story producers do interviews with them separately. The producers get them to go from the beginning to the end of the leg -- to recap leg of the race -- and give them information about what happened story-wise.

Occasionally there is an opportunity for the teams to go and do something together -- they have the option -- but for the most part they're exhausted and they want to sleep.

I get to know them extremely well. I interview them extensively and I get plenty of time to hang with them at the pit stops.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: Will there be any special twists for the contestants, especially since they have been through the race before and are aware of how to play the game?

Phil Keoghan: The format and the structure of the race will be exactly the same. We know that it works. What makes the show different is that we have the best of the best, not the ones that are fastest at going from Point A to Point B but the ones that are most interesting, racing against teams they know about but they have never raced against, with the odd exception of Rob and Amber and Uchenna and Joyce.

Obviously we'll be ramping things up because it is All-Stars but we always make any race challenging.

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Arlington, Va.: why do we have to suffer through another season of Rob and Amber? Haven't they been overexposed enough yet? And isn't he an employee of CBS and The Early Show? Aren't CBS employees banned from such competitions?

Phil Keoghan: I can't speak to the arrangement that CBS has with Rob on The Early Show but there is no way you could have an All-Star show without Rob and Amber. If we didn't put them in even if people hated them, they would still be wondering why they weren't part of the All-Star Race, after all, the All-Stars are meant to be the most telegenic, captivating, engaging characters we've ever had in the race franchise. Surely you'd agree that Rob would be one of the most competitive and controversial racers ever. Having them in the race whether you love them or hate them is only going to make for a more exciting show.

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Detroit, Mich.: Phil, Do you know if CBS can put full episodes of "Amazing Race" on Innertube? Currently, eight shows have full episode links on the CBS Web site? Why not 'Race'?

Phil Keoghan: Good question. Please contact the people at Innertube and ask them directly. It makes sense that we should be up there with the other shows. Go to Innertube at cbs.com and click on Feedback button at bottom of the screen.

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Washington, D.C.: Hello, Phil! How are the challenges and locations decided upon? Is there a team out circling the globe looking for great experiences or are locals used?

Phil Keoghan: It's a combination of researchers, producers and people in a given country finding great challenges around the world.

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Frank from B-more: Phil, first of all, love the show. Me, my wife and kids make it appointment TV.

Especially with this All-Star format, is it hard to not pick a favorite team, and have you ever had to intervene with a team that was arguing? We also wonder, how long do you stay on location for the check-ins?

Phil Keoghan: You always have favorites; it's only human nature. But at the end of the day the teams I want to see stay in the race are not necessarily the ones that I like the most but the ones that I think are helping us create the best television show.

I don't see myself as a marriage counselor. Obviously, if I felt the need to step in and break something up I would but the nature of our show doesn't call for me to do that.

The time I stay for the pit stops or for the check-ins depends on the arrival times for all the teams. Sometimes it has been as little as minutes and other times it can be as much as 17 hours. That happened this season and the first teams to arrive left on the next leg before I had checked in the remaining team. That creates a problem for our schedule and makes our life frantic.

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Columbus, Ohio: Hi Phil! What's the status of other seasons of Race coming out on DVD (besides 1 and 7)?

Phil Keoghan: That's a great question. I'd love to see the whole series come out on DVD. Can you please go to cbs.com and make this request. If you look at the CBS homepage there is the same Feedback button at the bottom of the page.

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Silver Spring Race Fan: Phil! My wife and I love your show, we travel vicariously through it every season. My question is, have you ever had trouble staying ahead of the contestants to shoot your intros at the detour/roadblock/pit stop sites? Have you ever been passed by a team of racers? Thanks!

Phil Keoghan: We have trouble staying ahead of the teams all the time. A lot of people don't realize that with only 28 days to shoot 13 shows and travel more than 50,000 miles there are going to be major logistical challenges, especially when we can't predict exactly when teams will arrive in each location. There have been many times when I have had to skip shooting introductions ad detours and roadblocks, et., because the teams are ahead of me and I need to beat them to the pit stop and welcome the first team.

There have been occasions where I have literally been running to the mat from one direction while watching the first team running towards me.

I have been passed by racers. I have watched them take off on a flight ahead of me. In Season 10 I got stuck in immigration in Ukraine from 2:00 in the morning until about lunch time and almost missed seeing any of the teams at all.

If the spread of the teams is large enough we can find ourselves in an extremely tricky situation where we're trying to get all the elements we need shot and somehow find a way to keep ahead.

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Atlanta, Ga.: Many people noticed last season that you were not as prominant as in previous seasons (less voice overs, explanations, etc.). Since this is an All Star edition with people who have raced before, will we be seeing more or less of you this season? I definitely vote for more! Many of us tune in for you!

Phil Keoghan: Well, thank you. I have no idea how much presence I'll have. It's totally up to how the producers want to cut the show. Regardless of how much they use, the workload for me is always the same.

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Washington, D.C.: As much as I love the show -- and I do, a lot -- it seems to me that over the seasons the tasks have gotten physically harder but the clues have become easier to solve. Where once teams had to figure out where to go, now the clues often seem to be no more than directions? Do you agree?

Phil Keoghan: Personally I like it when the teams have to figure stuff out. Designing a show that can allow somebody like Uchenna who at one point was one of the fastest men on the planet and Sharla who was a small person is an extremely challenging process. I think the producers do that well. The race has to be a perfect combination of using brains, brawn, teamwork and, of course, a bit of luck thrown in there as well. Not an easy thing to do.

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Immigration and Customs?: Hi Phil! I love TAR. My husband and I watch every season.

Do racers ever get preferential treatment in going through immigrations and customs? I've often wondered about how that works when all of the racers come shooting out of a new country's airport at the same time. Surely some of them have hang-ups in immigration. Do you guys keep them in a holding pen until everyone is through?

Phil Keoghan: All teams have to cooperate with helping their camera crews pass through customs with equipment. A tremendous amount of effort goes into making sure that this is done in a fair manner. Everybody has to go through the same process. For processing of immigratin, no team receives any preferential treatment over any other.

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Houston, Tex.: Are you able to work out and eat healthy during the running of "The Amazing Race"?

Phil Keoghan: Working out is always a challenge. Sometimes my workouts involve lifting equipment cases at airports, doing pushups curling rocks and pullups from trees on location when time permits. I also travel with a skipping rope and a pair of running shoes. Even if I can get 15 minutes of free time I'll use it to maintain some level of fitness.

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Phil Keoghan: I get myself in the best possible shape I can before each race, bike riding up to 12 hours a week as well as boxing training twice a week. I don't drink when I'm on the road and in any given season with the crazy schedule and lack of sleep I lose up to 10 pounds.

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Fairfax, Va.: Phil, I love the Amazing Race! It's the only reality show I ever watch. But why would I want to watch a bunch of teams I've seen before? Previous commercials for the show mentioned how 75 percent of Americans want to be on the show. An all-star edition doesn't give me or anyone else a chance.

Phil Keoghan: Not so long ago the idea of an All-Star Amazing Race didn't really appeal to me either. People were talking about it as early as Season 5. But after doing 10 races and featuring more than 100 teams Race fans seeme to show more and more interest in the idea of featuring their favorite teams facing off against each other. I have to say that the results of mixing our most interesting teams together in one race has created a dynamic new spin and I hope that once you see the show you'll agree it had to be done.

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Arlington, Va.: What did you do before the show?

Phil Keoghan: For more than 20 years I've been working in front of the camera, shooting and traveling around the world for 20 years now. Before being picked to work on Race I had worked in over 60 countries and worked on a number of personality-driven series for the Discovery Channel, spent four years traveling around the U.S., doing live stories for the Fox morning show, "Fox After Breakfast," hosted specials for the Sundance Channel, Vh1, A and E, Fox and CBS.

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Ocean City, Md.: Hi, Phil!!

I love the show, and can't wait for the new season.

Do you ever disclose the countries the teams will visit in advance? Will you return to some of the countries from previous seasons, like Morocco, or Russia?

Thank you!

Phil Keoghan: Yes, we do disclose some of the countries we go to. In this season, for instance, we'll be going to Argentina, Chile and Mozambique. We keep some of the locations a secret so viewers are surprised by where we go. We will absolutely go back to countries we visite before. India has featured again and again in series of The Amazing Race. Personally, I like it when we go somewhere completely new.

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Rockville, Md.: I've noticed that a lot of (probably stinky and sweaty) Racers love to hug you when they check in. Does that annoy you?

Phil Keoghan: It depends what they've been rolling in. In Season 4 when the Clowns had so much fun playing in the manure I wasn't exactly welcoming them with open arms. There are times when having a good sense of smell is a kerse if only television could provide the extensive plethora of aromas that teams arrive at the mat with_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Can one of your producers make a video collage of your eyebrow thing?

Phil Keoghan: I understand from fans they call my eyebrow the "browsie." Funny story, I was at the Kentucky Derby last year and Lee Majors's wife came storming up to me saying that I had stolen her husband's (Lee Majors) eyebrow from the time he was on "The Six Million Dollar Man." Turns out she's a huge fan of the show and was just kidding. However, she did mention that The Rock is also making use of the "browsie" and if she sees him, she's gonna take him down.

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Washington, D.C.: How many applications do you get per season?

And any chance me and my brother could be on the next show?

Phil Keoghan: We get tens of thousands of applications. Imagine a large room filled with mail from floor to ceiling. It's overwhelming the interest that people have to be on this show. Every application is viewed; you just never know that an amazing team might be buried at the bottom of the pile.

_______________________

Phil Keoghan: People always ask me what you need to do to get on the race. Just be yourself. If you're interesting and unique we'll find you. I'd like to say thank you to our devoted fans, the ones that have stuck with us from the beginning, the fan sites that continue to generate interest in the show, particularly our biggest fans at Television Without Pity. Thank you.

Very interesting kogs! Many thanks for putting it up! Is there by chance a link?

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

HA! He's getting closer, only missed the Antarctic Peninsula by 200 miles this time. However, he refers to USHUAIA as an island, which it is not. The quite large island where USHUAIA is situated is Tierra Del Fuego. The first mistake is understandable since the Amazing Race apparently did not go to Antarctica and BVM never had a geography lesson on that part of the world. The second is inexcusable since they just raced there in episode 4 of AR11.

Perhaps by the time Amazing Race All-Stars are over, BVM will havelearned USHUAIA geography. We can always hope.

Was just coming to add this interview--I think it has a few maybe spoilers:

Quote

David's got a nickname now of Hollywood, because he put a little bleach in his hair, and when he goes down in the mine, they all call him Mr. Hollywood.

Quote

They sometimes take forever to get through the pit stops. We were in Europe this last time, and the teams got so spread out, and that's part of what made the whole series tough this time is that the separation was huge. And there was a spread of seventeen hours from the first team to the last team [one time]. So the first team had left, and I was still waiting five hours in the middle of the night, in this cold location. The only place to be was on the floor of an old building. This one journalist was like, "Wow, you're on the ground trying to sleep?" And I go, "Yeah, it's not like I can go back and lie down in a hotel."

Quote

For instance, in that European leg, the first team had a five hour head start on us leaving! Five hours is a long time. They get on a flight ahead of you to the next place, and then you get on the ground and I'm meant to go explain the Detail, Roadblock, Yield or Fast Forward before I get to the Pit Stop. Well, if they've got a five hour lead, they're already through all those challenges, sometimes, and I've got to go straight to the pit stop. Then we've got to work out how I can back track, to go back to these places. Now if it's a two or three hour drive or a plane ride, it becomes a nightmare. It's not a picnic. And I love it, by the way! I carry my own bags and all the rest of it.

Quote

We were in Africa, and the Pit Stop location had to get moved because of logistics. We'd taken a flight to the next location, packed up about forty bags into a propeller charter flight and flew two hours to the next location. As soon as we landed, we got a phone call to say the teams had been held up. They were never gonna make it to the pit stop where we were at. We'd just unloaded all the bags in the middle of the night. So they asked the flight crew if they would fly us back the next morning, and the crew said no; they were gonna go back. So we had to load all the bags back on the plane, take the two hour flight back again, then go out and in the middle of the night for the pit stop, having not been to bed at all. There was no facility for any of us, like chairs or any of that. So at one point there was 12 of us, cameramen and production people, all tightly packed onto the mat, which was lying in a grassy area, being absolutely annihilated at 3:00 am by mosquitoes

.

ie Zach and Flo??

Quote

Eric obviously wants Danielle to really step up this time and be there. And you can imagine what happens when he's pushing really hard and she's wanting to take maybe a slightly slower approach or she's being pushed into a place she just hasn't been before. And he's now having to look after somebody who's totally the opposite of Jeremy. I mean he couldn't have a more different partner this time. So I think it makes it very, very interesting, and I think people will be intrigued to see -- and it will become very evident quickly -- how their relationship reacts to this new pressure.

interesting:

Quote

IGN TV: Before Season 10 began, you'd mentioned in an interview I believe that there was a "problem team." With that season over, any chance you can let that cat out of the bag?

Keoghan: A problem team? A team that kept giving us problems all the time?

IGN TV: That's the impression, but no one knew who you were talking about.

Keoghan: A team that was sort of questioning everything? [Laughs] Um… See, I get myself into trouble. I tell you. Then you put it out there. Then I go to one of these meetings, and then they come and confront me and I'm trying to have a nice, cold drink. And I gotta deal with, "What do you mean, we were…!?" You know, I gotta be careful what I say!

IGN TV: [Laughs] Understandable.

Keoghan: If only because I need peace when I get to a gathering. I'll let you draw your own conclusions on who you think it is. Who do you think it is?

IGN TV: Well, I wondered if it was Lyn & Karlyn, mostly based on the fact that they didn't seem to have the most upbeat attitude.

Keoghan: No, it was not them. In fact, they were quite good to deal with.

« Last Edit: February 17, 2007, 11:51:06 PM by georgiapeach »

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

No, I'm not PUDDIN. The reason is that I forgot something in my earlier measurement. King George Island is north of the Antarctic Peninsula yet I consider it (and I'm sure BVM does too now that he has looked into it) part of Antarctica. Its closest point is a tad over 500 miles from USHUAIA. I will let the "Ushuaia is an island" comment go because it's so laughable. We need lot's of good comedy in our lives and if I discourage him from providing it, who is going to provide it? Phil?

Susan Vaughn will watch "The Amazing Race: All Stars" premiere today (8 p.m., Channels 12, 7) to see what she missed.

Vaughn and her son, Patrick, who competed on the show two years ago, were asked by CBS to apply for the "All Stars" series in August. But they were not chosen to be one of the 11 teams racing around the world for $1 million. (Neither were any of the Linz family from Anderson Township, which won a "Race" in 2005.)

"We were told we in a very, very select group of people. We later heard that there 15 teams actually considered," says Vaughn, 56, director of Miami University's ethics and conflict resolution office in Oxford.Vaughn and her son, a 1997 Hamilton High School graduate and an aspiring writer in Hollywood, were eliminated from the "Race" when their boat engine failed in Argentina. It took producers 90 minutes to get them a new boat.

"We felt like we didn't get a fair shake. Nothing we did was the cause of us losing. It was the boat," Vaughn says.

"We loved the 'Race' and wanted to do it again, even though it turns your life upside," says Vaughn, who made about 40 paid appearances in 2005 from her TV exposure. "For a year, my life was crazy

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

There was some chat at TARflies last week that there might not be a Finish Line this year...

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan